Better Let Go My Mate

The second day after Theodore Hawthorne snapped back to his senses, he slapped a bond-breaking letter in front of me, Lillian Prescott.

"Either break the bond, or step down as my mate and let Sophia Ellsworth take her rightful place as my chosen," he said, his voice sharp as a blade.

I stood there, frozen, my fingertips trembling. "Take her place?" I echoed, barely a whisper.

Theodore's eyes flicked up, cold as a winter frost. "You've been sitting in a spot that was always hers. Don't you think it's time to give it back?"

Each word stabbed into my heart, like an invisible hand was squeezing it until every beat felt like it was tearing me apart. Just a few days ago, he couldn't get enough of me. At night, he'd cling to me, refusing to sleep unless I was in his arms, whining "Sis" in that playful, needy way, swearing he couldn't live without me.

Now? His eyes looked through me like I was a stranger.

God, how I wished he was still that sweet, simple pup, the one who only had eyes for me. But he's awake now, and there's no going back.

"Made up your mind yet?" Theodore's patience was wearing thin, his brow furrowing. "Step down as my mate, or break the bond?"

"I'm heading to the Ellsworth den today with gifts to make it official. Sophia and I were always meant to be bound, destined from birth. You need to know your place, Lillian, and stop chasing things that don't belong to you."

His words cut deeper than any knife. I almost laughed at the irony. Me, chasing things that don't belong to me? Me, delusional?

Wasn't it him who clung to me, who wouldn't let me out of his sight, who swore he couldn't breathe without me?

I took a deep breath, forcing the ache in my chest down. When I opened my eyes, I felt a strange calm settle over me.

"I've decided," I said slowly, my voice steady.

Theodore, so sure I'd bend and choose to stay as his lesser mate, cut me off before I could finish. "Good. You're smarter than I thought."

With that, he turned and strode away, his broad shoulders straight as a pine, not sparing me a single glance.

I watched his back disappear, then whispered, "I choose to break the bond."

I closed my eyes, and memories flooded in like a tidal wave.

Everyone in Delmora Town knew Theodore, the heir to the Pack Beta, was the brightest wolf in the pack-bold, untouchable, a star. Every she-wolf in town was smitten, but his eyes were only for Sophia, his childhood mate. He doted on her. She loved peonies, so he filled the Hawthorne den with the rarest blooms. She hated the cold, so he trekked to the western territories for a fox-fur cloak. Before he left for battle, he stood before the whole town and vowed, "When I return, we'll form a sacred bond."

But no